In recent years the lure of perfect waves has turned Indonesia's remote Mentawai Islands, off West Sumatra, into a surfing mecca for Australian board riders.

But more than a week after a devastating 8.4 magnitude earthquake struck the area, the area's remoteness is costing it dearly.

Now Australian surfers are working to get emergency supplies to the 30,000 people displaced in the disaster.

Surfer Tom Plummer says the Mentawai Islands are a land of legends and dreams for Australian surfers.

"Mentawai Islands [are] the new Hawaii, the new Bali, for surfers. It's becoming a very famous surf destination," he said.

But these days Mr Plummer travels to the Mentawais to do much more than surf.

He is coordinating the aid efforts of SurfAid International, which, with the support of AusAID and others, is racing to get help to 30,000 displaced people scattered across shattered villages in the remote island chain.

He says charter boats, which surfers hire for $200 a day to find some of the world's best waves, are also pitching in.

"We are basically sending out aid in the form of basic building kits and basic shelter kits, hygiene kits and medical kits, sending it out to the affected communities," he said.

"We're utilising the boats, the surfboats that are run and owned by the Aussies that are based up here."

Mr Plummer said late last week that three surfboats had taken aid out to people in the far-flung villages since the quake.

"We have another boat going tomorrow night with 1,000 kits on board," he said.

"Every other day next week we have boats going out there. So we're going to have a small fleet."

Locals say the disaster is the worst to hit the islands in at least the past 50 years. Since the quake three people have died, including two children, and with so many displaced and in need of shelter and medical help, Indonesian health officials are worried about disease.

Australian surfer Dr Dave Jenkins founded SurfAid International seven years ago, and he says the true extent of the Mentawais' destruction is only just being revealed.

"No-one knew what had gone on out there," he said.

"They are way worse affected than anyone thought, and that's partly because of the isolation of these islands.

"You've got to understand we've got 200 villages, only about five or six of them have telephone access. There's only a few kilometres of road.

"These are extremely isolated; now we're trying to gather the data and raise the alarm to try and get some international help."